A Real Boyfriend Should
by ForeverYours-x
Summary: Troy comes across a ladies magazine labeling the expectations of the perfect boyfriend. Being Troy with his insecurities, he attempts to become the perfect lover for Gabriella. A series of extremely fluffy drabbles. TxG.
1. Chapter 1

**A Real Boyfriend Should...**

**Summary:**

Troy comes across a ladies magazine labeling the expectations of the perfect boyfriend. Being Troy with his insecurities, he attempts to become the perfect lover for Gabriella. A series of extremely fluffy drabbles. TxG.

**Disclaimer:**

I do not own High School Musical, nor am I affiliated with anyone whom may work for Disney or High School Musical. Troy, Gabriella and any other recognisable characters are credited to their rightful creators, and in no way to I intend to class them as my own creation. I also do not own the film _Ghostbusters_. Credit to the rightful owners.

**Authors Note:**

This feels weird. I don't really think I should be updating right now... It is purely insanity fueling this new story. I wrote this literally today and I posted it completely raw. Aside from being scrutinised under the watchful eye of Ashton and Liv, it hasn't really been publicised. I read a note on _Facebook _which happened to be titled 'A Real Boyfriend Should' and I found it really beautiful. This fiction is inspired by that. I guess I should thank Liv and Ashton for reading this over in such short notice and Joyce and Tess for their moral support. There will be about 7 chapters to this story since it is a lot smaller than my other stories, just so you know. Reviews would be appreciated, but not forced. I love to read constructive criticism so if that's all you have to say, please review with that; it's what makes us writers better. _Enjoy._

~ Tamy

P.S: Yes, I did delete this when I first published. I didn't like the layout. Sorry!

* * *

_Point one – "Protect her when she's scared."_

* * *

**A Real Boyfriend Should...**

If you asked Troy Bolton to describe how he saw relationships, he'd say sacred. It was the little things that counted; like saying please and thank you, holding a door open for his lover or buying her little gifts every now and again -- things he'd seen in the supermarket that reminded him of her. He did all of this and she was happy. She appreciated the sentimental value of every little thing he did for her but some days he felt it wasn't enough. Gabriella Montez was his source of happiness, his everything, and he wanted to prove that to her.

* * *

They were laying tangled beneath the sheets, hearts beating in time with one another. They had been in that position for a while and he was more than happy to stay there, just holding her close and taking in the scent of her shampoo. He was sure it smelt sweeter than all the flowers in The Garden of Eden.

The movie credits were still playing in the background, flashing the names of the people who had been involved in the making of the film. The film he'd brought just minutes after reading the column in the ladies magazine. It wasn't as though he'd intended to read it; it had caught his eye as he walked past and it just so happened that he'd acted on impulse. Picking up the issue, he'd scoured through until he'd found page 37.

"A real boyfriend should..." he'd read aloud.

Taking a deep breath and glancing around as to make sure he was not seen, Troy had skimmed through the seven points that the journalists had branded the most precious acts of love.

_1. A real boyfriend should...protect you when you're scared._

His eyes had widened. Was Troy Gabriella's protector? Did he make her feel safe when she was afraid? He didn't know. Gabriella had always seemed fearless to him; he'd never really had the chance to guard her.

Troy wasn't quite sure what had possessed him to purchase '_Ghostbusters 2' _that day but he reasoned that if he wanted to be Gabriella's protector, he'd have to find something to make her afraid in the first place. He knew his logic was rather...illogical, but nevertheless; that film was going home with him and they were going to watch it together.

Whatever it was that had made him buy it; fate, karma, any other type of eerie suspicion -- whatever it was, it had worked.

Gabriella had gripped his side in terror, her eyes widening with every twist and turn the film brought and Troy was there right by her side; coaxing her through. He couldn't deny there were times when he'd flinched and she'd looked up at him adoringly, indulging in the fact that he'd felt as nervous as herself, but as he'd whispered in her ear that all was okay, he'd felt her hands loosen their grip and she'd began to relax in his arms. Maybe, just maybe he was her defender when she was weak.

* * *

As they snuggled further into one another, Troy began to draw invisible circles on the exposed skin of her shoulder.

"Babe?" he asked gently, his breath colliding with her tiny nose.

"Yes, Troy?" she mumbled back, falling deeper into a slumber.

"Would you say I was your protector?"

She raised her head to meet his eyes with her own, a gleeful glimmer shining through. "Of course, baby. Although it was kind of adorable to see how nervous you were throughout that movie."

He scoffed loudly and pulled her back into his chest. Point one from the magazine...Epic fail. Maybe he'd be more successful with the other points.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer:**

If I owned them, I'd be out making millions right now, not sitting here writing FanFiction.

**Authors note:**

This chapter is dedicated to Liv. Without her constant moral support and understanding, this fic would not be here. She betareads upon demand and is never afraid to tell me when it doesn't make sense. For this, I am truthfully grateful. I love you Liv.

Also, I will not be updating as frequently as I have. Since I'm busy throughout the week, there may only be one weekday update – if that – and the rest will be posted on weekends. Thanks for the tremendous support all of you reviewers and 'alerters' have given me, it's incredible. Once again, reviews would be appreciated but not forced. They just happen to have the power to brighten my day.

So sorry for the ridiculous amounts of emails this story sent out!

~Tamy

* * *

Point two – "A real boyfriend should...stay up all night with you when you're sick."

* * *

**A Real Boyfriend Should...**

When he had read the whole article enough times to remember each point by heart, Troy was ready to transform into the perfect lover that he felt Gabriella deserved. He concluded that point two would be much easier than point one, but he detested the fact that she had to be sick with it. Wrapping his arm tighter around her sleepy frame, he sighed. He couldn't blame himself for her period coming at this time, but the fact that it happened to have some connection with his 'mission' made him feel awfully guilty.

_'Point two – A Real Boyfriend should...stay up all night with you when you're sick.'_

Gabriella never had good periods. They were always painful, caused her sickness and Troy hated that. His lover didn't deserve the agony she got with her monthly cycle because in his eyes, she was perfect. Any kind of pain that was inflicted upon her gorgeous body, to him was sinful. He was glad she'd finally fallen asleep though -- after 3 hours of laying curled up in a ball, gripping the sheets tightly.

They'd gone to sleep early because Gabriella had felt sick and only seemed to feel better laying down. Troy didn't mind though, he loved holding her close and just being with her while she relaxed. After they'd snuggled together for a couple of hours, Gabriella turned to face the wall, the way she usually slept, and Troy turned the other way, shuffled back so his body could touch hers, and had fallen asleep within a few minutes. It wasn't until 2 hours later that he'd been woken by the bed shaking. He turned to face Gabriella and immediately winced; her face was contorting with pain and her hand was pressed firmly on the lower part of her stomach.

"Baby? What's wrong?" he whispered, brushing a strand of loose hair from her face.

"I'm fine. It's just the period pains. They'll subside soon." she said, faking a smile before wincing once again.

Without saying a word, Troy pressed a gentle kiss to her temple before getting out of the bed and running downstairs. It only took him a minute to boil the kettle and find the medicine, but still he shouted up to her to ensure she was okay. Running back up the stairs, he turned the light on and walked over to the bed.

"Babe...sit up for a second so I can give you some pain relief." he said, nudging her slightly on the arm.

"No" she grunted in response, burying her face further into the sheets.

"Brie, come on. It'll take it all away."

Finally obeying her boyfriend's demands, she sat up in her spot, drowsy and in pain, while he fed the medication to her.

"It says on the box it will take up to 20 minutes to kick in...so I made you this." he informed her, raising his left hand that held a hot water bottle in it.

"You do know that hot water bottles increase the blood flow?" she mumbled, amused by his lack of knowledge.

"What? Fuck!" he hissed.

She giggled slightly before opening an eye. "It's fine, Troy. I still use them because it numbs the pain a little."

Gabriella smiled softly up at him and slid back down the bed until her head was back resting on the pillow.

"Thank you" she murmured, reaching for his hand and squeezing tightly.

Climbing back into bed, he lifted her pajama top slightly and rested the hot water bottle against her tanned, flat stomach before pulling it back down again. In order to keep the heat on the spot that hurt the most, he brought his body forward to rest against hers; the heat source being the only thing preventing them from touching.

Although Gabriella had fallen back to sleep in just over 20 minutes, Troy didn't even close his eyes. He was determined to ensure Gabriella didn't wake up once again, while he was fast asleep. When the sun shone down as the morning came, Gabriella had woken up at the crack of dawn, due to her medicine wearing off. Looking up at Troy, she realised that he'd probably stayed up for most of the night watching her and making sure she was okay and so she decided once she'd taken her medicine, she'd crawl back into bed and watch him sleep.

* * *

After 10 minutes, Gabriella was ready to get back into bed. Crawling back under Troy's strong arms, she rested her head against his chest and listened to his heart pound into her ear. It reminded her of the time when they'd gone on vacation together and found a gigantic shell which, when put to your ear, sounded like the waves crashing against the cliff side. While there were cynical people who insisted that the whooshing sound inside the shell was made by the air flowing through it, Gabriella thought it was far more romantic to believe it was the ocean.

"What are you thinking?" A voice mumbled from above her, bringing her from out of her thoughts.

"About how much I love you." she responded, looking up at him and smiling. "And how you really are the perfect boyfriend."

Point two? A+


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: **As much as I wish I did, I don't own Troy or Gabriella.

**AN: **Thanks for the incredible response to the last chapter. You guys are amazing and I'm glad so many of you are enjoying it. If you can, please review; I love to know what you think of the story and any ideas you have to make it better. Huge thanks to Dani for betareading this chapter in such short notice. You're amazing.

* * *

_Point three - "When she's stressed, comfort her and make her happy."_

* * *

**A Real Boyfriend Should **

When Gabriella wanted something, she put her heart and soul into getting it. She believed that with a bit of confidence and the right attitude, she could achieve anything. It wasn't that Troy didn't agree with her exactly, he just hated seeing her getting all worked up about studying.

Letting out a loud, exasperated sigh, Gabriella threw her pencil across the room in frustration, only to pout as she watched it land under her cabinet at the other side of the room. Burrowing her face between her hands she mentally composed herself before taking a deep breath to calm her down. Clambering out of bed and looking down towards the floor, she took a lazy step forward before hitting something hard – Troy's chest.

"Looking for this?" he asked, amusement evident in his voice as he held the pencil in the air.

"Mhm." She mumbled, not bothering to look up and instead nuzzling her head into the crook of his neck.

He sighed, rubbing one hand comfortingly down her back, while embracing her with the other. "Maybe you could take a break?"

"No," she groaned, closing her eyes and attempting to pull him closer.

"Brie, I love you...I really do, but you need to stop being so hard on yourself. You could pass this exam with your eyes closed if you had to."

Biting her lip, she looked up at him and smiled. "I love you too." She paused, taking in his smile before continuing. "And thank you for having so much faith in me...but I don't have that kind of faith in myself, so I'll go for another 30 minutes and then we can do something together."

Content with her response, Troy let her continue on in peace while he planned something he knew would take her mind away from the stress.

* * *

_Point three - "When she's stressed, comfort her and make her happy."_

_

* * *

  
_

Boiling the kettle, Troy smiled. He was glad he'd finally paid attention to those lists – it had given him the confidence boost he needed and he felt as though he was finally giving her the love and devotion she deserved. He poured the boiling water into the cup of chocolate powder and added milk before checking the time. It had been 29 minutes and 49 seconds since he'd last bothered Gabriella, and this time he was determined to make her take a break.

He kicked the door gently with his foot and it opened, revealing his girlfriend furrowing her brow as her pencil scratched away at the worksheet. Settling the cup down on the bedside table, he sat down next to her.

"Baby..." he warned as he saw her purposely hide her face away, ignoring him and continuing on with the papers.

When she didn't respond, he snatched the worksheet from her hand and put it out of her reach; much to her dismay.

"Trooooooy!" she whined.

"Nuh-uh" he responded, rubbing his nose against hers in an Eskimo kiss. "You said 30 minutes and by my watch, it's been 33 minutes and 15 seconds."

Pouting, she knew she was fighting a losing battle and so she agreed to making the most of the rest of her night. "What are we going to do then?"

"I am going to use my expert hands to de-stress you," he teased, wiggling his eyebrows.

Gabriella blushed furiously before rolling her eyes at him. "I'll repeat myself. So, Troy, what are we going to do tonight?"

He chuckled. "As I said, I am going to de-stress you...by giving you a massage."

Her face lit up as she grinned. "You'd do that for me?"

"Sure. It's not a big deal, babe. Just relax and enjoy the sensation." he challenged her innocent personality, smirking one again.

Not bothering to respond to his innuendo, she shifted between his legs and relaxed her shoulders. As he rubbed his hands into the crevices of her neck and shoulders, releasing her of the tension, he brought his head down to whisper sweet nothings into her ear.

"You feeling better?" he asked sweetly, rubbing his hands down her arms and then back up again until he reached her shoulders.

"Mmm. What was I stressing about again?" she asked, sweetly.

He chuckled softly. "That's my girl."

Troy laid back on the bed, pulling Gabriella down with him and wrapping his arms tightly around her. The embrace brought warmth to both bodies and he was sure no matter who or what tried to disturb them at that moment in time; neither would move from the position they'd found themselves in.

Point three? Another A+, even if it did hinder his manly reputation, slightly.


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: **If only, if only.

**Authors note: **Huge thanks to Joyce for the advice given for this chapter and putting up with my apprehensiveness about posting it. I wasn't sure since the last chapter got less reviews than the first two, and I didn't want to disappoint with this one. I also apologise for the shorter length of this chapter and I only hope it lives up to your expectations. Reviews would be amazing! Thanks for sticking with me on this.

* * *

"W_hen she wants to spend time with you, say yes whether you enjoy what she wants to do or not."_

* * *

There were certain points in Troy's life where he knew to draw the line. He had his likes, his dislikes; his hobbies and the things he was not too fond of. Four mile walks along the beach on a hot day fell into Troy's "things he was not too fond of" category. He didn't believe he was lazy and he didn't think he wasn't boring, but to him the waves were for surfing, not watching as you walked past flippantly.

* * *

"Please, Troy?" Gabriella whined, batting her eyelashes and glancing up at him pleadingly.

"Brie, you know how much I hate walking," he groaned before sighing dramatically to prove a point.

"You're so lazy," she stated, grunting.

He had only just opened his mouth to speak, when it happened. She did the one thing she knew he couldn't say no to. He knew he shouldn't of looked down to scan her face as it trembled with disappointment. She pulled her lip out slowly, scanning his face for any sign of emotion as she frowned and brought her arms to cover her chest.

"Fine," she huffed, stamping her foot loudly before turning in the opposite direction without giving him a chance to inform her that he would reconsider.

As he watched her back retreat into the kitchen Troy suddenly remembered the list from the ladies magazine. Point four tied in perfectly with the situation he found himself in; "_when she wants to spend time with you, say yes whether you enjoy what she wants to do or not."_

Sighing once again, he ran a hand through his already tousled hair. "Brie?"

Hunched up, his girlfriend timidly poked her head around the door before inching in further to see what Troy wanted.

"Yes?" she asked, still pouting like Adam and Eve pining after the fruit they were forbidden to eat.

"Get dressed, we've got some walking to do," he told her, grinning as he saw her face light up.

Squealing loudly, she ran over to him and threw her arms around his neck. She felt him chuckle against her ear as he brought her close to him and pressed a soft kiss to her forehead.

With her by his side, maybe the walk wouldn't be all too bad.

* * *

The contrast of the rough sand against his feet as opposed to the softness of Gabriella's hand felt amazing. Strangely enough, just being with her in such a calm and serene environment seemed to help him cast all worries and stresses he had aside. He turned his head slightly so that he could take in her gorgeous features; her tiny nose that shone red at the very tip; her huge, Bambi eyes and her long, silky brunette hair. She was gorgeous, there were no two ways about it. He was just so lucky to have her. Troy subconsciously squeezed her hand, caught up in the moment and she glanced up at him curiously.

"Everything okay?" she asked sweetly.

He nodded his head gently and grinned. "We've come all this way and haven't even had a proper conversation!" he teased.

Gabriella giggled and looked behind her before biting her lip and gazing up at him, pulling him to a halt. "You know, when I look back at how far we've walked today, it seems to have more significance than I thought."

He raised his eyebrow and motioned for her to go on.

"Well, I don't know...for me it just represents how far we've come in our relationship. Even though we've taken baby steps, we've got there in the end."

Troy didn't say a word. He merely brought her to his chest – one hand resting on her back, the other holding her hand and playing with her fingers. He brought his head down slowly so his lips could capture hers in a sweet yet passionate kiss. Pulling back, he watched as she took a moment to recompose herself before opening her eyes.

"Then I guess we should continue walking and see where it takes us," he mumbled as she looked up at him, reciprocating her smile with a wink.

* * *

Walking further down the beach, hand in hand, the two were the picture of happiness. The couple were oblivious to all those who witnessed their acts of love and affection as they frolicked, only focusing on one another; the couple couldn't get any happier and although the selfish part of Troy wanted to take the credit for his part in the relationship, he knew that without that little old list in that $1.50 magazine; it wouldn't of been the way it was that day.

Money couldn't buy them happiness, but it could certainly buy him the confidence boost he needed to satisfy her needs and give her what she deserved.

After their peaceful walk, point four could definitely be ticked off the list.


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's note: This chapter is dedicated to Tess because she demanded she had a chapter and I was scared to say no, hehe. Sorry if there are any mistakes, the majority went without beta-reading. I wasn't going to update as my laptop has broken, but as I don't know when I'll next update after this, I figured it'd be best if I just updated while I could. **

* * *

**A Real Boyfriend Should**

* * *

_When she's hungry, make food with her._

* * *

"I'm hungry!"

Her velvet voice rang through his ears and he rolled his eyes before burying his face further into her hair.

"Tough luck, gorgeous," he mumbled, poking her stomach and grinning. "Feed yourself."

"If you don't feed me, I'll resort to cannibalism and then you'll die," she teased, playfully pressing her hand to his chest and pretending to bite his neck.

"You'd miss me," he retorted.

"Maybe," Gabriella responded, shrugging her shoulders slightly. "So what are we eating?"

He looked distant for a while, thinking, before his eyes widened and he stood up. Grabbing her hand, he pulled her off the couch and smiled.

"We're going to cook dinner."

She raised an eyebrow at him and giggled in disbelief. "You don't cook, Troy."

"I don't, but you do," he smirked, motioning towards the kitchen door. "And you're going to teach me."

* * *

_When she's hungry, make food with her._

* * *

Luckily enough, due to the weekly shopping trip the couple had made the night before; the cupboards were filled with the right resources to make the food they wanted.

Gabriella had assigned Troy the job of chopping the carrots and although he seemed to have done them perfectly, she couldn't resist the temptation to turn around and make sure he hadn't cut his hands off.

"Brie, I'm not going to chop my fingers off, have a little faith," he teased, laughing softly.

"Baby, before today you didn't know what cauliflower looked like, I'm allowed to be worried about you."

"What? That is a lie; I did know!"

"You thought that the cauliflower was the broccoli."

"So? You're putting both things in the saucepan anyway. What does it matter?"

"That's beside the point, Troy. You need to know the difference."

"Whatever," he huffed, admitting defeat. "How long will this take?"

"The chicken was put in quite a while ago so there will be another 20 minutes before that is cooked. Therefore, if we put the vegetables in now, they'll be done around the same time," she informed him.

In the twenty minutes it had taken for the food to cook, Troy had taken the time to learn the difference between the broccoli and the cauliflower while Gabriella had observed him from afar, smiling at the effort he put into the relationship to make sure she was happy. She knew he wanted to maintain his masculinity but it didn't hurt him to know that she appreciated the side of him that longed to please her every now and again.

"Troy?" she called out to him.

"Yes babe?"

"I just want you to know how much it means to me that you put so much effort into our relationship. It really shows me how much you care. You're amazing," she praised, her eyes glazing over with tears.

He smiled widely and strolled over to her, bringing her body to his in a close embrace. After a moments silence, he decided to respond.

"Brie, just so you know, you're pretty amazing too."

Before they were even able to say another word, the timer made a noise telling them that their dinner was ready to be served and the two broke apart.

"Let's go and see how it tastes," he suggested, grabbing her hand and pulling her into the kitchen.

"If I dish up the food, will you be the one to take the first bite?" she playfully asked, nudging his ribs slightly.

His face looked a little uneasy but he nodded and then gulped dramatically.

"Of course!" he responded, covering up his apprehensiveness.

Setting the plates down on the table, she grabbed the cutlery before sitting down beside him and watching as he put the fork into his mouth, warily. As his teeth clamped down, crunching and crushing the food, his eyes closed tightly.

"Holy shit! That's almost orgasmic," he grunted.

Giggling, Gabriella decided she trusted her boyfriend's instincts and took a bite.

"Mmm, you're right!" she gasped.

"I guess that means there's more than one thing we're good at making," he winked and once again she blushed.

"Shush you!" she giggled.

"You love it," he chuckled in response.

She didn't bother to respond, only continuing to eat the food that she'd made with her boyfriend and revel in the incredible taste.

"We should do that more often," she suggested and he smiled.

"Yes we should, baby; anything to make you happy."

The two sat for the rest of the meal in a comfortable silence both sharing the same thoughts; how much they loved one another and how Troy really was becoming the perfect boyfriend.


	6. Chapter 6

**Authors note**: This is the most spontaneous, insane update I've ever done, but hey; if it's ready I might as well update, right? Hehe. Sorry for any mistakes, this has been written and not edited so I apologise in advance.

* * *

**A Real Boyfriend Should...**

_Point six: Take her somewhere you've never taken anyone before. _

* * *

"Brie?" his voice rang throughout the house, bouncing off the walls. Troy had been out shopping for the groceries when he remembered he still had two points left to complete on the list. Point six, he felt, would be the most telling in his relationship with Gabriella and also the easiest to cover with such little hassle – he simply needed her to comply and not question his out-of-sorts behaviour.

Her response was timid and faint in comparison to Troy's but it was audible. "Yes babe?"

"Are you busy?"

Stumbling down the stairs, she bit her lip and cocked her head to the side. "No..."

"Awesome!" He exclaimed, pumping his fist in the air.

"What are you up to?" She asked, curiously, raising an eyebrow at his behaviour.

"I want to take you somewhere," he informed her, taking her by the hand and bringing her in front of him. "As crazy as this may seem, just trust me on this." Grabbing a tie that he found lying on the sofa he carefully wrapped it around her head as she attempted to fight her way out of his grasp.

"Nuh-uh. It'll be worth the torture, I promise. Just trust me. Now can you see anything?"

"No."

Nodding his head curtly, although he knew she wouldn't be able to see, he placed his hand on her lower back and guided her out of the door and towards the car.

Once in the car, Gabriella decided she was going to try and elicit some sort of information from him whichever way she could.

"What are you going to do, take me to the woods and tie me up?" she giggled.

"Maybe," he retorted, coolly before chuckling as he imagined the look that would have shone on her face had she been able to see.

With that thought he decided the only way to divert her attention would be to play some music and so he turned the radio up and smiled when the song they'd branded "theirs" came on.

He chuckled as he heard Gabriella sing along, word by word, and found himself singing along too.

"I've waited all my life to cross this line, to the only thing that's true...all my life I've waited; this is true."

Just as the song ended, the car pulled to a stop and Troy laughed. "Perfect timing!"

"Can I take the blindfold off now?" she whined, playfully.

"You're going to have to, otherwise we'll never get to the place I want us to reach, but you're going to have to trust me if we're going to get there. It's a big trek." He informed her.

Untying the tie from her head, he grabbed her hand and pulled her towards a cliff side.

"Okay, we've just got to climb this and we'll be there."

Looking at him in disbelief, she took in the glance of utter seriousness he possessed and immediately realised that Troy had, in fact, gone insane; although she loved him nonetheless and if that meant climbing the cliff that towered over them both, she would do it.

* * *

Grabbing the soft skin of her hand, he hoisted her up the last of rocks to the top of the cliff. His already large grin widened as he saw the awestruck look that glazed his girlfriend's face.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" he asked her, gently grazing his thumb over the back of her hand.

"It's truly mind blowing," she responded, finding herself immobile; she was transfixed by the view. From where they were standing the whole city was in sight; from the roofs of the tallest buildings to swans in the lakes and boats in the sea – it was like a whole different world.

"How did you find it?" she asked, her sweet voice cutting through the deadly silence.

"It was after I'd had an argument with my Dad; I went for a run to clear the air and before I knew it I'd gone too far. I had no clue where I was and so I just followed my instincts and climbed up the cliff side; it brought me here. I've been in love with it ever since," he recalled, switching his eyes back to the view.

"Do they know you come here?" she asked, prying a little further.

"No, nobody does...well except you," he informed her before smiling. "Maybe I shouldn't have told you. Now you will know where I am when we bicker and I go to clear my head."

She giggled and carefully sat down on the rocky ground. "It's not like we bicker that often anyway."

He sat down beside her, gently resting his chin on the top of her head. "Yeah, we're a pretty placid couple, I guess."

Silence overcame them again and Troy subconsciously trailed his fingers up and down Gabriella's arm. "We can't stay out here forever you know."

She pouted jokingly and nodded. "I know. It's just so peaceful out here; all your worries seem to disappear, it's like nothing else matters."

He brought his hand to stroke her cheek and using his index finger, he lifted her chin up slightly so that her eyes could meet his eyes. "Nothing else does matter...just me and you baby."

Bringing his head down further, his lips met hers in a passionate kiss and even though the two knew they'd have to move at some point, they were perfectly content to stay right where they were until dusk fell upon them.


	7. Chapter 7

**Authors note: **Wow…so here it is – the last chapter! I actually feel quite emotional. This story has been my baby and I cannot thank you all enough for the incredible response I've had for this; it means more than you know. I hope this chapter lives up to 'last chapter standard' and the standard of all the other chapters in this drabble. Although I've done my research I'm not 100% sure that the Italian language in this is correct...please don't take offense if it isn't – I'm not a native speaker of that language. Without further ado; I give you the final chapter of…

**A Real Boyfriend Should**

**

* * *

  
**

_Point seven; "when the time is right...make the commitment."_

_

* * *

_

"_Hello?"_ a high pitched voice questioned from over the phone.

"Shar, it's Troy."

"_Ooh! Hey Troy!_" the lady greeted him warmly.

"Hey. Listen, Sharpay, I need your help."

"_Let me guess; you need to know something about Gabriella?"_ She sighed and Troy imagined her rolling her hazel eyes whilst tapping her foot against the floor with impatience.

"Yes. I think I know the answers but I want the confirmation. It's important," he informed her.

"_Okay, shoot, but I can't guarantee I'll know."_

"Awesome. So simply to double check; Gabriella's favourite language is Italian, right?"

"_Yes,"_ she confirmed.

Nodding his head, he continued. "And her favourite jewellery to wear bracelets, yes?"

"_Correct."_

"That's great. Thanks so much Shar; I owe you," he said, gratefully.

"_Yes, you do owe me,"_ she teased, giggling. _"__And Troy; don't forget to t__ell me how whatever it is you'__re planning goes__."_

"I will. Bye, Shar!"

"_Toodles, Troy!"_ her heard her disconnect the line and did the same; sighing and praying to God that Sharpay was right.

* * *

Walking to the jewellers, Troy had managed to convince himself that Sharpay knew Gabriella well enough to know her likes and dislikes and was confident that what he was planning to do would be perfect for her. Speaking to Sharpay had confirmed that Italian was indeed Gabriella's favourite language and bracelets were indeed her favourite kind of jewellery and he knew exactly what he wanted to have engraved on it.

Pushing open the heavy wooden door to the jewellers, he glanced at all of the rings and necklaces that were under the counters; searching for the section that held the bracelets.

"Hi there! Can I help you?" a dark haired woman from behind the counter asked, sweetly.

"Hi, I wonder if you could. I'm looking for the section with the bracelets. I'd like to have something engraved on it," Troy informed the lady.

"Okay," she nodded before continuing. "If you'd like to come over towards the back of the shop, we have a special section which caters for engraving. When there you can choose which bracelet you'd like to buy."

He followed the young woman to the back of the shop and immediately spotted the bracelets. Scouring the section, his eyes landed on one particular bracelet that, to him, fitted Gabriella to a tee. The front of it held a single diamond and the rest was plain silver. It was perfect; not over the top but still had the diamond to show for.

"I'd like to look at this please," Troy asked, smiling and pointing to the spot where it lay.

The lady nodded, taking the bracelet out of the sponge case that protected it and laying it on the top of the counter. "Is it for anyone special?"

He continued inspecting the bracelet and responded without raising his head. "Yes, it's for my girlfriend...and I believe this is the perfect one."

The lady smiled. "You wanted it engraved?"

"Yes, please. I'd like the words to be engraved in Italian too; is that possible?" Troy requested.

The lady nodded, writing down everything Troy asked for. "And what would you like it to say?"

Subconsciously lowering his voice and glancing around the shop as if to make sure Gabriella was not lurking, Troy told the worker what he wanted to have engraved before waiting patiently for the job to be done.

* * *

Opening the door to his house, Troy's eyes were met with the picture of his girlfriend curled up on the couch, her head resting against the edge and her eyes flickering closed as she fought with the remote control to change the channel.

"Baby?" Troy called, and watched as the sound of his voice caught her attention.

She lifted herself off the couch and walked sleepily across the room and into his arms.

"Tired, beautiful?" he asked, gently caressing her cheek.

She simply nodded her head and dug it deeper into the crook of his neck.

"Well I have something that may wake you up a little," he grinned, dropping his arms from her waist.

"Troy!" she scolded. "Now isn't the time for innuendos!"

"I wasn't suggesting anything," he chuckled. "But if you're offering…"

Seeing her glare up at him forcefully, he knew to shut up. "No, seriously babe; I think I have something that will cheer you up."

He watched as she glanced up at him gleefully and then walked over to the couch to sit back down. Sitting down beside her he grabbed the box from behind him and placed it in her hands. Before opening the case, she looked up at him questioningly and bit her lip. "Troy?"

"Just open the box," he demanded.

Her facial expressions were mixed as she lifted the lid off the box and it wasn't until her heard the gasp that was emitted from the back of her throat that he knew he'd made the right choice.

"I know it's not a proposal or a tattoo or anything remarkably amazing but I think it fits us and where we are in our relationship," he explained, rubbing the back of his neck with nerves and the anticipation of her response.

Lost for words, tears formed in her eyes as she marvelled upon the sight of the bracelet in front of her. "Troy...it's perfect."

"Umm, there's a little something engraved on the inside," he informed her; looking away cowardly – afraid of her response.

Holding the bracelet so she could see inside of it, he heard her breathing get heavier. "Ti amo con tutta l'anima," she whispered. "I love you with all my heart."

"It's the truth," Troy whispered in response, afraid that any increase in loudness would ruin the perfect moment the two were lost in.

Shifting closer to her lover, Gabriella lifted her lips to his and smiled when he increased the intensity; their tongues fighting a battle that neither wanted to back down from. When they finally needed to come up for air, Gabriella seized the moment to take the jewellery and wrap it around her tiny wrist. When she had got it on securely, she turned to face him once again.

"Thank you. Not just for this bracelet; not just for this last week, but for everything. Thank you for knowing exactly how to make me laugh; for knowing exactly how to make me smile. Thank you for being you. You do everything a real boyfriend should and it's been perfect… you're perfect," Gabriella stated, tears forming in her eyes once again.

Pulling her close to his chest, a phrase his girlfriend had used in her emotional speech – "a real boyfriend should" – circled around in his head. It was the name of the magazine article; the one he had to thank for being in the place he was – for his relationship being so successful. He knew for sure that if he hadn't have picked up that ladies magazine all of those days ago; he wouldn't have been feeling as happy as he was, he wouldn't have been holding Gabriella so tightly in his arms and he certainly wouldn't have been feeling confident that as he faced his future with Gabriella, everything would work out just the way he wanted it to.

* * *

Point seven – "When the time is right...make the commitment," was the last point on the list of things a real boyfriend should do to please their girlfriend. Even though he hadn't proposed or told her forever, Troy was completely certain that whichever way you looked at it – however you tried to analyse it; he had ticked that point off the list just as he had with almost every other and he could never regret it because Gabriella was his angel, his saviour and she deserved everything. It was a small price for him to pay for her; all he had to do was everything a real boyfriend should.


End file.
